Normal Again
by ringanybells
Summary: During Senior year at Neptune High, Duncan and Veronica have rekindled their former love. But what happens when Logan uncovers the skeletons in Duncan's closet? Slight AU, eventual LoVe.
1. Duncan's Closet

_{A/N: Duncan comes across kind of stupid. I apologize, but you all know how I feel about guys who aren't Logan (I don't like them). I've got a second chapter for this written, and it will be posted as soon as I write a third. Enjoy.}_

"Ya know, I've hated my father since I was ten." Logan said as he turned on the light, making Duncan jump. He'd just let Kendall out the front door. When Duncan had made the booty call, he had assumed that Logan was passed out at Dick's or Casey's or wherever tonight's party had been. He certainly hadn't expected to find Logan in their darkened living room at quarter to four. And he certainly hadn't expected to find him sober and wanting to chat.

"Sorry?" Duncan was confused as to what Logan was trying to say.

Logan was pissed. Not that Duncan was sleeping with Kendall, but that he was cheating on Veronica. Didn't Duncan know anything? Logan couldn't just sit by and do nothing. "My dad. I've hated the great Aaron Echolls since I was ten years old. It was the first time he beat me. He'd lost the Oscars to Will Smith or somebody. On the way home in the limo, he got hammered. He couldn't take it out on my mom, not physically at least, because she had a press release the next day. He wasn't very good at hiding the bruises in the beginning. So he got drunk. When he got home, he came into my room. It was late so I was asleep, but that didn't stop him. He woke me up with his belt. He only hit me three times, but I was ten, so I was crying. It wasn't the first time he'd hit me, he'd taught me a lesson before when I'd 'done something to deserve it.'" Logan threw up fake air quotes. He could see that Duncan was still confused. His sometimes friend's ignorance did nothing to placate his own anger. "But this was the first time it happened when I didn't do anything to warrant it, or at least provoke it. It happened again a few weeks later, when he lost the MTV Movie Award. After each, my mom came into my room, after Aaron had passed out of course. She held me while I cried, tried to clean the cuts the best she could, cover them so they'd heal okay. This was before she started crawling into the bottle herself though. But she held me, told me it wasn't my fault. That 'daddy' was just mad that he'd lost, but that he still loved me." Logan paused here. He'd kept his eyes locked on Duncan's through his speech, but thoughts of his mother caused his eyes to tear. He looked away.

"Your dad was an ass, Logan. We already knew that. What are you doing up?" Duncan was hoping this would be the end of Logan's trip down memory lane. It was late and Veronica would be over early. He began inching toward his door.

"After that second time, I started wanting him to lose. I didn't think it was right for the bad guy to win. It wasn't fair if in the end, the ass ended up with the golden girl." He hoped Duncan could see where he was going with this.

"Wait a minute." Duncan understood what Logan was trying to say all too well. "You've got a lot of nerve Logan."

"I still believe it should be the good guy, the better man who wins. And for awhile, I thought that's what had happened. I mean, you're Duncan, her Duncan. Except you're not anymore," Logan eyed Duncan up and down. He was truly disgusted with Duncan's actions, which was an emotion he rarely felt.

"That makes no sense Logan. I'm not what? Not Duncan? Not hers?"

"Either" Logan stood up, shaking his head. No longer sitting, he and Duncan were now level, and he looked his friend in the eye.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm the same guy I've always been. And she _is _my girlfriend." Duncan could feel his temper rising. If there was one thing that could push him to the edge, it was the thought of Logan and Veronica together. She loved him. Duncan knew that much. He could see it every time she came over and refused to let her eyes stray to Logan's door. He heard it every time she remarked on Logan's late night activities with Kendall, the jealousy dripping on every word. He tried to keep himself in check.

"You're right, you haven't changed. But she has. She's not the same Veronica you took to Homecoming. That girl is gone, we killed her."

"What do you mean 'we killed her'?" Duncan's head was starting to hurt. Logan wasn't making any sense.

Logan wanted to grab Duncan and scream at him. He wanted to punch him till he opened his eyes and saw the truth. Veronica was not who she had been before Duncan broke up with her, and Lilly died, and her mom left, and Logan became an ass. The paternity scare and what had happened at Shelley's house had changed her. "We did. You, and me, and Lilly, and her mom. Everything that's happened and been done to her since the day you broke her heart has affected her." He saw nothing but confusion in Duncan's eyes. "Open your eyes man! I don't see how you could possibly miss it. It's so obvious."

Duncan was torn between confusion and rage. On one hand, he had no clue what Logan meant. On the other, he was pissed that Logan would dare try to tell him about Veronica. "You don't know what you're talking about Logan.

Logan groaned in frustration, "No, you don't know what I'm talking about. And that's my point." Logan took a step around the table, moving toward Duncan. "You're the wrong guy for her now. She's not the fairy tale princess anymore. And you're sure as hell not her prince."

"And you are?"

"No, I'm not her prince. That's not what she needs anymore. But I am better for her then you are."

"How do you figure that, Logan? If I remember correctly, she dumped you."

"You're right, she did." The pain of that memory laced through him, but it didn't show. She'd been right to pull the plug, it had been a wakeup call he had desperately needed. He was even glad she'd done it when she had, the thought of what could have happened to her because of his own stupidity still haunted him. And that's what this was all about. She had changed in the last two years. And so had he, Duncan hadn't. Or maybe he had, into the jackass in front of him, he wasn't sure. Logan would like to think his friend hadn't always been a sleezeball, but he wasn't sure that was the case. "I wonder what Veronica would do to you if she found out about Kendall. Or if I told her that every other night, you're screaming for Meg in your sleep." He saw the look in Duncan's eyes, "Or that you're sitting here staring at me, like there's nothing in the world wrong with either of those two things."

Duncan ignored the accusations. "Why can't you just give it up, huh, Logan? You lost."

Logan's thinly held temper came closer to the breaking point, "Because she's not a prize to be won, you jackass. She's the most amazing girl out there and you're trying to turn her into some watered-down version of herself, or into Meg. Besides I told you, I hate it when the wrong guy wins."

"That's a little hypocritical, isn't it Logan?"

"Better a hypocrite then a cheating jackass, right DK?"

Duncan sighed, defeated. "What are you going to do? Are you going to tell her?"

Logan couldn't believe Duncan's audacity. Could DK really think he would just sit by and allow Veronica to be hurt? "No, I'm not." He heard Duncan sigh, could read his mind, and saw the hope that he'd be able to keep Veronica as a girlfriend and still have Kendall on the side. Logan was happy to burst that bubble. "You are."

"You're joking, right?"

"Not at all. C'mon, if you don't tell her on your own, she'll figure it out soon enough. And then she'll be even more pissed."

"She won't figure it out."

Logan chuckled, Duncan was either extremely confident in his own skills at being secretive, or else he had no idea how good Veronica was. "Dude, she figures this stuff out for a living. She'll put two and two together. She'll follow you or check your phone or show up unexpectedly. She'll work her Veronica magic, and she'll know."

"She won't follow me. She trusts me." Duncan had conviction in his voice.

Logan allowed himself a small smile. She had told him the same thing one night; of course it hadn't stopped her from believing the worst about him. When it came to trust, Veronica was a paradox. She wanted so badly to protect herself from the pain of disappointed trust that she tried very hard to live without it. But what she refused to admit, even to herself, was that she would never be able to stop giving that trust to the people she loved, the ones who had the greatest capacity to hurt her. And to compensate for this, she drew a distinct line in her head. She might trust Duncan, the way she'd trusted Logan, but she didn't trust herself. He hated that he had been part of the wave that had broken her trust in herself. "That doesn't matter. It won't stop her from seeing the truth; it'll just hurt her more when she does find out."

"Either way, it's none of your business. Veronica's not your girlfriend; she's barely even your friend. Why do you even care?" Duncan knew the answer. He'd known Logan for years, they'd grown up together. Duncan knew that the great Logan Echolls was in love with little miss nobody Veronica Mars. And Duncan was pissed because he knew she loved Logan back. But Duncan was not going to just let her go with out a fight. She was his first. Logan had no right to her.

Duncan wanted to know why Logan cared. Was he really that oblivious? Logan could have sworn he was wearing a sign that professed his love for the tiny blonde. But that wasn't what mattered. And it wasn't the only reason he was doing this. Yes, he did love Veronica Mars. But he wanted to protect her from the pain Duncan would cause her because she didn't deserve to be disappointed again. She should never have to live through another Kane heartbreak and he owed her a great deal. "I care because she's my friend. Because once upon a time, we all cared about each other. I don't know what happened to you that you forgot that. Even after all _we _did to her, she didn't forget it."

"The Fab Four was a long time ago. It doesn't exist anymore. It died with Lilly." Duncan was done with this conversation. He was sick of Logan and what he thought he knew about Veronica. He was not going to let Logan push him around and force him to confess to Veronica. He began to move toward his room once more, but Logan's words stopped him once again.

"That's why you're not the guy for her anymore." Ask anyone who claimed Veronica as a friend; she would never have been the first to walk away from the Fab Four. And Logan was a big enough man to admit, it hadn't been Lilly that had killed the group, it had been him and Duncan.

Logan's last comment was it for Duncan. He turned around and moved to lunge for Logan. But his eyes were drawn to a movement just over Logan's shoulder. The tiny blonde that stood there looked furious. Duncan wondered how much she had heard. If she'd come in late enough, he could still smooth things over. Duncan abandoned the attack he'd planned for Logan. He instead moved toward his girlfriend. "Veronica…How long…What are you doing here?"

Logan froze for a second. The attack that Duncan had been seconds from launching he had been ready for. But he wasn't prepared to turn around and see Veronica. _How long as she been standing there?_ he wondered. But as he took a closer look, he saw the streaks on her face, the ones that revealed the tears she'd obviously shed in the last few minutes. That could only mean she'd heard enough of the conversation to once again be hurt.

He and Duncan were now equal distances from her. They both stepped forward at the same moment. She took two steps back. "Just…Don't." She turned around and walked out the door.

Duncan went like he was going to follow her, but Logan put a hand up. "You so don't want to do that. She needs to cool off." It looked like Duncan was going to ignore him, but he spun on his heel and walked to his room. Logan was left staring at the inside of the hotel room door. Every fiber of his heart wanted him to follow her out that door, but his brain told him that she would want to be alone. He let the struggle continue for about five seconds before he made his decision, and moved toward the door.

_{A/N: Me again. I hate doing this, but I thought I'd let those of you who are also reading _Never Leave Me_ know that I am trying to update ASAP. I've been posting the next chapter as soon as I have the following one done. I've written the third, and am halfway thru the fourth, which means I should be updating midweek. I just thought I'd let you all know that these multi-chapter stories are killing my GPA. But unfortunately (for my college career anyway) I can't seem to stop. So just hold on a little while longer, it's coming. And thank you for reading.}_


	2. Veronica Revealed

Veronica stepped into the lobby of the Neptune Grand. She hated this; she hadn't been able to sleep at all. She wasn't sure if it was the on again-off again friendship with Logan or the way Duncan had been acting the last few times they had been together. And the look on his face when she'd found Kendall's bra in the couch cushion had screamed guilt. But she had ignored it. She had entered into this relationship hoping things might settle down, hoping she might find a way to recapture a little of the Veronica Mars that she had been before Lilly. But she had sat in her bed earlier, regretting the harsh words she'd aimed at Logan when he'd come into the Hutt for a latte. And when she'd tried to think about anything else, her mind had latched on to Duncan's odd behavior.

Showing up at the Grand at four in the morning was probably a mistake, but she had been able to think of no other way to deal with her feelings. Her car had simply brought her here.

As she crossed the lobby, her train of thought was interrupted by the feel of a glare on her face. She looked up, only to lock eyes with Kendall. Kendall leaving meant that at least one of the occupants of the Presidential Suite would be awake. Veronica was relieved, she hated the turn her and Logan's relationship had taken after their break up. She missed when their witty banter was strictly jovial, now it seemed to hold at least some measure of acidity. And when she was honest with herself, she missed Logan. Before Lilly had died, the two of them had been close, spending time together whenever the Kanes' were away, which was often. Getting a taste of that over the summer had made the lack of it in the last four months much more obvious. If Logan was awake, maybe they could reach an agreement or come to a truce.

"After the ride he just had, lover boy is asleep." Kendall's acerbic voice cut through Veronica's thoughts.

"What?" If given the choice, Veronica would prefer to never have another conversation with the woman in front of her. She had thought Kendall felt the same way.

"Your lover boy, he's asleep. I rode him hard. The boy could barely walk to the door. He's not going to have any strength for cuddling."

Kendall's words confused Veronica, but she didn't want to spend any more time with Dick's step mom. "I wasn't planning on doing much cuddling." She walked away before Kendall could respond.

She thought about what Kendall had said as she rode to the boy's floor. Why would she have wasted her breath reliving her and Logan's night unless she thought it would bother me_?_ Luckily the ding of the elevator interrupted that chain of thought. She walked down the corridor, a little surprised to be hearing raised voices.

She approached Duncan's door, where she realized the fighting was coming from. She turned the handle, slightly surprised to find the door unlocked. She walked into the room, unnoticed due to the volume of Logan and Duncan's conversation. She was just about to step in and calm the two of them down when she heard Duncan's next words, _She is my girlfriend. _Why in the world were Duncan and Logan arguing about her at four in the morning? What could they possibly have to argue about? The girlfriend in her still wanted to step in and stop the fight that could turn ugly at any moment, but the detective in her demanded she find out what they were talking about.

_You haven't changed, but she has. She's not the same Veronica you took to Homecoming. That girl is gone, we killed her. _Logan's voice was quieter than Duncan's had been, but Veronica could read his emotion more easily. His words were laced with regret and pain. He'd said something similar to her one night over the summer. They'd been enjoying one of their make out sessions in his Xterra when he'd stopped her. He'd said that there were times he barely recognized her as the girl he'd known their freshman year, but that when he looked closer, he saw the girl he met the day he moved to Neptune. He'd then leaned in and kissed her, telling her he liked the girl she was now a lot more then the one he'd known two years before. She also knew that he felt extremely guilty for everything he'd done to her after Lilly's death. But she'd never heard him express it quite that way. It both pained and overjoyed her to know that it meant that much to him.

The confusion in Duncan's voice was evident, _What do you mean we killed her?_ She knew quite well that he'd never really grasped the differences in her. She'd chosen to let it go, hoping that it wouldn't make a difference in their relationship. But knowing that Logan understood her so well, and Duncan hardly at all, was shocking.

_We did. You, and me, and Lilly, and her mom. Everything that's happened and been done to her since the day you broke her heart has affected her. Open your eyes man! I don't see how you could possibly miss it. It's so obvious."_ Again, she was surprised at Logan's depth of understanding. She'd tried very hard to hide from everyone, especially Logan Echolls just how badly all those blows had hurt. Of course, over the summer she'd admitted to some of them. She and Logan had spent many nights on the beach, watching the waves roll in, confessing truths to each other under the California moon. Their lives were too full of secrets and venom to hope for a fully functional relationship without some airing of dirty laundry. It had been Logan's idea, and he'd started by talking about what Aaron had done to him, hoping to show Veronica that he was not like his father and that she was not alone in the 'I've been tortured by Aaron' club. He'd started it as a way to ask forgiveness but it had turned into a way to build a bridge and strengthen their friendship. They'd covered just about everything, from his parents to hers, from his indiscretions to hers. And when they'd finished with those, they'd discussed the harder things, Lilly's murder, that night at Shelley's, the night Aaron was arrested and what had passed between them in the months they'd been enemies. It had been like a fresh breath of air, being able to say aloud all the thoughts she'd been keeping to herself. And what's more he'd known how hard it would be for her, so he'd taken the first step and traded tit for tat: for every painful story she had shared, for every embarrassing tidbit, he'd provided one back, one that was at the very least on the same level with hers. It had gone a long way in building their trust.

Once again Duncan's voice rose in confusion, Y_ou don't know what you're talking about Logan. _It never ceased to amaze her how good Duncan was at avoiding the things he didn't want to see. You could tell him the grass was green until you were blue in the face, but he wouldn't admit he heard you until he was ready to tell you the grass was green.

_No, you don't know what I'm talking about. And that's my point. You're the wrong guy for her now. She's not the fairy tale princess anymore. And you're sure as hell not her prince. _Where Duncan's voice was slightly raised, as if he were getting to fight, Logan's was exasperated. He sounded like he was trying to explain calculus to Dick, fighting a losing battle. His claim that Duncan was no longer the right guy for her struck her though. Could that mean that Logan could possibly want to be with her?

_And you are?_ Duncan's voice held derision, as if he couldn't believe she could want to be with anyone but himself. If only he realized that she'd been happier with Logan than she had been with him, before or after Lilly. The only reason she'd broken up with him was because she was getting _too_ attached to him, and she feared his crazy antics would cause her heartbreak.

_No, I'm not her prince. That's not what she needs anymore. But I am better for her then you are. _Logan was right. She didn't need a prince. She needed an equal, someone who understood her, but could still treat her like a girl. A guy who would sit with her on stakeouts just as often as he insisted they have a romantic evening. She smiled as she remembered the nights they'd traded off between make out sessions in Logan's monstrosity and stakeouts in her inconspicuous _Le Baron._

_How do you figure that, Logan? If I remember correctly, she dumped you. _Duncan was trying to hurt Logan. The words he threw at his best friend were practically dripping poison. Again she had to fight the urge to interrupt, not to calm them down this time but to yell at Duncan for being an ass.

_You're right, she did. _Again, Logan's voice was full of pain, but she was almost possible she was the only one who could tell. She hated that she had put that tone in his voice. But those thoughts were knocked from her head, along with her breath as she heard Logan's next words. _I wonder what Veronica would do to you if she found out about Kendall. Or if I told her that every other night, you're screaming for Meg in your sleep. Or that you're sitting here staring at me, like there's nothing in the world wrong with either of those two things. _Hearing Logan mention Kendall caused everything to click. That skank had come up to her, had made such a show about what she'd been doing, because she'd been doing it with Duncan. That part was shocking; she'd thought Duncan had more integrity then that. She had already known about the Meg thing, having slept over once or twice when her dad was out of town. She'd overlooked it because you didn't always have control over where your dreams took you, and she herself had found herself in Logan's arms in more then one of her own dreams. But she had felt guilty about each and every one, and from the sound of Logan's voice, full of disgust, it didn't seem like Duncan was remorseful for any of his indiscretions. The urge to interrupt the fight strengthened as her desire to yell turned into a desire to smack Duncan.

_Why can't you just give it up, huh, Logan? You lost. _Duncan's next words did nothing to chill her anger. In fact, hearing the possessive tone in his voice pissed her off more.

_Because she's not a prize to be won, you jackass. She's the most_ _amazing girl out there and you're trying to turn her into some watered-down version of herself, or into Meg. Besides I told you, I hate it when the wrong guy wins. _She was hardly surprised to hear her own sentiments echoed in Logan's words. But she was taken aback by his next admission. He hadn't been that open with compliments for her in quite awhile. She was also very touched by his desire to let her be herself. That was another of the big differences between him and Duncan. Duncan smothered her, trying to fit her into the person she'd been, while Logan simply embraced the person she was now.

_That's a little hypocritical, isn't it Logan? _

_Better a hypocrite then a cheating jackass, right DK? _She listened to their name calling simply trying to process all that she'd heard. Duncan was cheating on her and Logan still cared for her. It was like she'd entered some weird parallel universe. But she had to admit, as painful as learning about Duncan was, it was uplifting to hear the way Logan was talking, almost as if he still loved her.

_What are you going to do? Are you going to tell her?_ She could hear the resignation in Duncan's voice, almost as if he didn't care. He sounded like he only wanted to know so that he could prepare for the fight that would ensue with her.

_No, I'm not_. For a second Veronica thought she'd imagined Logan's words. But then they sank in. Had he really just made that huge show about what an ass Duncan was, only to let him get away with it? Pain laced through her, not at Duncan's betrayal but Logan's. It didn't matter, she knew the truth now. Then she heard Logan's next words, uttered quietly, but with much more intensity. _You are. _She should have known Logan wouldn't let Duncan get away with it. Since his father's indiscretions had come to light, a huge part of what had driven Lynn Echolls to the Coronado Bridge; Logan had had no tolerance for adultery, on anyone's part.

Veronica was taken aback. Logan wanted Duncan to come clean on his own? It was about as likely as her and Madison having a sleepover at any point in the next millennia. His next words only confirmed her assessment, _You're joking, right?_

_Not at all. C'mon, if you don't tell her on your own, she'll figure it out soon enough. And then she'll be even more pissed_. Logan sounded certain. This confidence in her skills was just another thing that made Logan a great friend, and better match. Duncan had just last week referred to her desire to join the FBI as a cute little joke; he refused to acknowledge she was actually a great detective.

_She won't figure it out. _Duncan's voice sounded so sure that it actually hurt. She should be beyond caring at this point, but for some reason it still mattered what Duncan thought, probably some leftover piece of the girl who had loved him before losing Lilly. The girl whom he had left high and dry without any explanation, the girl whom Logan had mentioned earlier, the one they'd destroyed.

She heard Logan's low chuckle, full of disbelief and faith. _Dude, she figures this stuff out for a living. She'll put two and two together. She'll follow you or check your phone or show up unexpectedly. She'll work her Veronica magic, and she'll know. _Logan had really paid attention during their time together. Funny that he was right, she did figure it out.

_She won't follow me. She trusts me. _Duncan sounded so sure of himself. As if it wouldn't even be conceivable for her to doubt him. And yet she had, she'd been double guessing herself since the day he showed up in the Hutt. Tonight her uncertainty had driven her out of bed at this ungodly hour.

_That doesn't matter. It won't stop her from seeing the truth; it'll just hurt her more when she does find out. _Veronica could practically feel the pain that radiated off those words. Logan knew from experience that her trust was not a certainty. She had trusted him; she'd been so sure of him at the party. He'd risked a lot by reaching for her hand, telling all the 09ers to accept her or leave; the gesture had warmed her heart. But in the guest house, her certainty of Logan had evaporated, replaced with half-remembered flashes of a night she thought she finally understood. And then he'd left her alone, reinforcing the feel from that night. Finding the video camera had just given her a real excuse to run. Not giving him a chance to explain that was one of her top regrets about their relationship, right under accusing him of rape and thinking he could have hurt Lilly. She felt a sharp hurt for the pain that her actions had caused Logan. She reached up to wipe the tears off her face.

_Either way, it's none of your business. Veronica's not your girlfriend, she's barely even your friend. Why do you even care? _The sneering quality in Duncan's voice caused Veronica to be ashamed. He should not be so positive that her relationship with Logan was doubtful.

Duncan's conviction didn't deter Logan though. _I care because she's my friend. Because once upon a time, we all cared about each other. I don't know what happened to you that you forgot that. Even after all we did to her, she didn't forget it. _He was right, when Logan had shown up on her doorstep she couldn't have refused him if she'd wanted too. How could she have looked in the eyes of her best friend's boyfriend, her own close friend, and tell him that she refused to help him find his mother, especially when she was looking so fiercely for her own. And yet, Duncan had turned his back on Logan, told him to accept his mother's death.

_The Fab Four was a long time ago. It doesn't exist anymore. It died with Lilly._ She felt that pain again, this time at Duncan's words. How could he so easily dismiss what they had been? The tears had started falling again. They had promised to be friends forever, together forever, even before they'd all started dating. She had been ready to honor that after Lilly, until the day they'd told her to choose. Then she'd realized that they weren't going to do the same. But it had been hard to stop caring, watching Logan and Duncan try and survive after Lilly. The name calling and practical jokes had made it easier, but she'd still turned around and helped them when they'd asked.

_That's why you're not the guy for her anymore._ Logan was right. Her friends were too important for her, she never could be the first to turn away, and hearing Duncan proclaim time of death was the final straw, as if she'd needed it after this conversation. It was obvious that Duncan was not the guy for her, but maybe Logan was. He knew her so well, and was so desperate to protect her. She was just sorry it had taken so long for her to admit it.

Then she heard Duncan move and barely had time to register before she stepped out of the shadows. Her movement had the desired effect, Duncan's charge was stopped. His face flushed, full of guilt. _Veronica…How long…What are you doing here? _His voice betrayed both the guilt and the hope that he'd be able to fix this.

Then Logan turned around. His eyes locked with hers. She could see the regret on his face; he hadn't wanted her to hear any of this. Not because he hadn't planned on telling her, but because this wasn't the way for it to go down. She wanted to talk to him. He took a step forward, but at the same time, so did Duncan. Her desire to talk to Logan was over ridden by her need to be away from Duncan. Her instincts drove her back, "Just…don't." And she fled.

But as the door closed, she heard Logan's last words; _You so don't want to do that. She needs to cool off._ A smile crossed her face briefly. Yes, Logan knew her. She just hoped he'd know her well enough to know it hadn't been him she'd stepped back from.


	3. LoVe Rekindled

She rode the elevator down in silence, trying to stop the tears from tracing a path down her cheeks. She'd spent too many tears on Duncan Kane. Lilly had told her that after breakup number one. They'd sat in Veronica's bedroom one day after school. Veronica had been crying, begging Lilly to tell her the truth behind the breakup. Lilly had, of course, refused. But she'd only been able to handle so much of her best friend's pain; after about an hour she'd snapped. She'd looked Veronica in the eyes and said, _Listen to me, Veronica Mars. You are amazing and the Donut is not worth your tears. You deserve so much better then what he's offered you. I don't ever want to see you cry another tear over my stupid brother, you hear me? Find someone else, someone who is able to love you, someone who won't hurt you like this. _

Veronica was fairly certain Lilly hadn't met Logan, but it wasn't as if Veronica had made that decision either. They'd just happened. And now looking across the parking garage to the elevator she'd come out of five minutes before, seeing him standing there, she knew that they'd happened for a reason. And they would probably keep happening no matter how hard they might try and fight it.

Logan's eyes locked on those of the tiny blonde where she sat behind the wheel of her car. He wondered if she had sat there waiting to see if he followed, or if she had merely needed a few minutes before driving. Not that it mattered, just so long as he got a chance to explain. He crossed the lot, approaching the car where she sat. Her window was cracked, but she didn't say anything, merely hit the unlock button. He got the message, walked around the car and opened the passenger door. The car's interior was briefly illuminated, and he could see the reflection of the light off her face, from the tears that had managed to fall between the elevator and the garage.

She didn't speak, merely put the car in drive and pulled out of the lot. She needed space, needed air, and the stifling environment of the parking garage was causing her to hyperventilate. She hit the open air and kept driving. Veronica let her foot drift toward the floor, trying to make the miles melt away as fast as possible. She was impressed by Logan's silence. Had the situation been reversed, she would have already asked their final destination. Logan knew better then that, or perhaps he already knew where she was going.

As soon as the salt air hit the car, the tension melted from Veronica's shoulders. She pulled to the side of the road and was running onto the sand before her door had closed. Here on the beach, the sun beginning to peak over the horizon, Veronica could pretend the last hour, the last two years, hadn't happened. She heard the sand shift behind her, could feel his presence just behind her left shoulder. Turning around, their eyes locked. All of a sudden, she no longer wanted to forget the last two years, she just wanted to forget the fact that she'd been stupid enough to go back to Duncan.

He saw the collapse coming a second before it happened, and he was there to catch her. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Then he spoke for the first time, "I'm sorry it happened like that. I…I didn't want you to find out that way." It was hard to say the words, hard because he hated causing her pain.

Her voice was muffled by his shirt, but he enjoyed the feeling of her mouth moving against his shoulder. "I know. It's my own fault, showing up at four AM, what did I expect?" She lifted her head, "I knew something was wrong, he was acting weird. I just didn't think it was, well, that." She took a breath, slightly uncomfortable having her wounds exposed, even if it was Logan. It dawned on her she was not the only wronged party standing on this particular beach. "Forget me, how could he do that to you?" She looked up to his face.

"He didn't do anything to me. Kendall and I have been over for a while, over a month. I don't care what he does with the skank, except that he hurt you. I just wish you had given me a few minutes to beat him down." He tried for a small joke, hoping to make her smile. He failed. Her eyes met his again and he could see the pain there. "Veronica…"

"Why am I such a fool, Logan? How could I go back to him thinking things would be the same as before? What's wrong with me, Logan?" She pulled back from him, pushing away and moving down the beach.

"Veronica, wait. Stop." He followed her down the sand, not moving fast enough to catch up, knowing she still needed space, but following close enough that if she needed to she could reach him. "There is nothing wrong with you, Mars. Do you hear me? Duncan is just an ass. Don't question your own worth because of his actions." They both stopped, separated by a few feet.

"I thought I could go back, Logan. I thought I could be with Duncan and everything would go back to being the way it was before we lost Lilly. But it's not. She's still gone and we're still broken. And I can't stop thinking about you. You crawled into my head and into my heart and you just won't leave, Logan. I want so bad to be with you but…" Her voice had raised an octave as her rant continued. As she confessed to still wanting to be with Logan, he took his cue. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her once again.

"But what? What, Veronica? Why can't we be together?" If she had an answer, he could accept it. But he was pretty sure she didn't. He was pretty sure she was just trying to convince herself they were better off apart.

She pushed away, not breaking contact, but far enough that she could look into his eyes, "Because I love you, Logan. Because I can't stand to think about losing you. Last summer, everything was perfect. And then the PCHers shot your car. And it dawned on me how easy it would be to lose you. I can't do that again, Logan. I can't stand by and watch your coffin be lowered into the ground. It was hard enough to lose Lilly, but I won't be able to survive losing you." Her hands were wrapped in his shirt; he could see how difficult it was for her to relay the image of his coffin. He knew because that night had made him think the same way about her. And it had truly scared him to imagine seeing Veronica's face pale as death.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened over the summer. The thought of what could have happened to you because of what I was doing scared the hell out of me. It's why I didn't try to get you back, why I tried to move on with Kendall. I didn't want to be with someone I needed." He lifted her chin, to look into her eyes. "I used to think that Lilly was the girl for me. But me and her, we had problems. We fought all the time and no matter how hard I tried, someone else always came between us. But it's different with you."

She scoffed. "Come on, Logan. You and I have problems, lots of them. Remember that whole I thought you raped me thing? Or that year you spent trying to make my life hell? Those are way worse then anything between you and Lil."

He laughed. "No, they're not, because we didn't even happen till after all that. If those things had mattered, we wouldn't have gotten together last summer. But we did. Because this here, us, it's the real thing. I can't picture myself with anyone else, and the thought of you with another guy makes me sick."

"Logan…" She wanted to deny she felt the same way. She wanted so badly to walk away from him in order to protect her heart. But she felt so peaceful, there in his arms.

"Try and deny it, Veronica. But I know you." He ran his hand down the side of her face. "And you know me. That's why we fit. There's nothing between us but honesty."

Veronica knew he was right. And she was tired of fighting what she now knew was inevitable. "Logan. Don't do this to me. Don't say all these wonderful things and then break my heart. If we do this, I need to know you're not going to leave me."

"Ronnie, I'm not going anywhere. I've been waiting for you to come to your senses about Duncan for weeks, hoping you'd give us another chance." He leaned in close, bringing his lips practically to hers, but not quite touching them. "I love you, Veronica Mars."

She moved the last inch, catching his lips. Her arms went up around his neck and his tightened at her waist, pulling her flush against his body. She reveled in the feel of his heart beating against her chest even as he deepened the kiss. It was strange how right it felt, having Logan's arms around her. She was the one to pull back, only because she needed the oxygen.

His forehead connected with hers, and he was pretty sure this was the happiest he'd ever be. What could be better then a beach at sunrise, with Veronica Mars in his arms? He felt Veronica inhale, bringing her chest against his again. Then she opened her mouth and uttered four little words. Four words that took him closer to euphoria than what he'd been feeling seconds before could have dreamed.

"I love you too." Veronica let the admission slip through her lips. She always thought she'd regret saying those words aloud, as she had with Duncan in the last few weeks. But it was not scary handing her heart to Logan. It felt right. She should be pissed about all that she'd heard this morning, but she couldn't help but feel that she was finally comfortable within her own skin again, a feeling she'd missed since her split with Logan. Once upon a time, it had been Duncan who made her feel that way. But that had changed long ago, just as Logan had said. The girl who felt at home in Duncan's arms was dead. Veronica, version 2.0, felt whole here, in Logan's embrace. This was her normal now, even if it felt anything but commonplace. She and Logan had never had the smoothest course, but she'd rather weather the storms with him then sail the calmest seas with anyone else.


End file.
